The results of our recent survey regarding the intersection of Facebook use and body image have been highlighted by various news outlets over the past two weeks.  We discussed the implications of the survey results here (and as a guest post over at The Illusionists), drawing attention to the fact that 51% of the 600 survey respondents said they often compare themselves to others while on Facebook and that seeing photos on Facebook makes them more self-conscious about their own body and weight.  Additionally, 32% endorsed feelings of sadness when they compare their body to other people’s photos on Facebook which, for most people, is at least once a day if not more.

We originally set out to do this survey because we were finding that patients with eating disorders were meeting with great difficulty in the recovery process when it came to logging into their Facebook accounts.  In fact, before we released the full survey results, one user on our Facebook page left the following comment:

“Facebook definitely played a role in fueling my eating disorder symptoms and behaviors.  Most people only post pictures that glamorize their bodies and social life…There have been multiple times throughout my recovery that I have deactivated my account because the things I was seeing online were fogging my view of reality.  Realizing that the site was doing more harm than good for me has made me more aware of the things I post on my account.  I think it’s important to make sure we are trying to foster a safe and healthy community and we can only do that if we first change the way we act… .” -  Facebook User

While some media outlets have gone as far as to say that Facebook is a cause of negative body image and eating disorders, others have dismissed the significance of the results as par for the course in our  image and weight-obsessed culture.  Others, including this editorial assistant over at Allure Magazineonline, have spoken up in a personal, and humorous, way about the modern realities of  this pressure-to-be-perfect in Facebook photos. Despite the varied reactions, one thing became clear to us following the survey;   Individuals with eating disorders are not alone in their battle with body-obsession on Facebook.   

Since the survey, we’ve been asked multiple times about how body-pressure from online social media differs from the toxic messages we’ve been getting for decades from fashion magazines, commercials and weight-focused friends?   The answer: the content itself is nothing new to us as a society - conversations that are hyper-focused on weight loss, diets, bikini bodies, and who looks ”hot or not” – but the delivery and dissemination of it is new.  We’ve noticed the following characteristics of online communities are unique in how they can potentially affect the relationship we have with our bodies: 

• Accessibility - Online social networks never turn off.  Even when you’re by yourself you’re often not far from your laptop, iPad or Smartphone and the lure of logging in to Facebook.  In the past, waiting in line at the store might have included…waiting in line.  With a smartphone it could easily be spent browsing Facebook pics from your old college roomate’s beach vacation or reading about Aunt Sally’s 37th time going on a diet.  For better or worse, we have a lot more visual information at our fingertips than ever before. 
• Immediacy – your status update or photo can literally be seen (and commented on) around the world in a matter of seconds.
• Lack of control over what other people post and how people comment on it.
• Two-way street- unlike with magazines or commercials, Facebook not only allows you to see photos of other people, but allows them to see photos of you.  Maybe even more importantly, YOU are seeing public photos of you which can sometimes create the most body anxiety, especially if your instinct is to zero in on all of your supposed “imperfections” in each picture.
• Business or Pleasure? – there’s a unique mix between the personal and business realms on Facebook.  Users often use one account to stay connected with friends/family but also occasionally promote a product or business in their posts and photos.  This means we get advertisement-like messages about beauty, exercise and weight-loss products from people we like and/or trust.  Confusing? Definitely.     
• The sheer number of people you are connected to on Facebook is more than you would ever casually socialize with on a Friday night. The thought of hundreds or even thousands of people zeroing in on what you imagine to be “imperfections” can be overwhelming when it comes to body insecurities.  (It’s important to remember that no one else is ever looking at you or your body in photos as closely as you are!) 
• Body Comparisons while on Facebook take on new meaning because you’re seeing real people.  Unlike magazines and advertisements which feature [heavily photoshopped]models and celebrities, photos of Facebook friends may, unfortunately, feel like a more realistic or welcoming comparison.  

The truth is, when you get caught up in comparing yourself and your body to other people (online or off) you can’t win.  Blogger, Margarita Tartakovsky, shares her journey out of this comparison trap in How To Stop Comparing Yourself To Others, in which she reflects:  

When you’re rarely satisfied with yourself, your self-worth is shaky, and you see others’ lives as almost perfect – or definitely better than your own. You  constantly search outside yourself, and as a result, you knock yourself down. For many of us, comparing ourselves just changes stripes from time to time. One day, we want someone else’s abs, biceps or hips. Another day, we want their smarts or style. A few days later, we want their family life or financial situation.  Until we can truly believe in ourselves, the comparisons will swirl and sabotage…It’s interesting that now that I accept, appreciate and believe in my body, the physical comparisons have mostly quieted.

The trap of body negativity and comparisons on Facebook can certainly be difficult to avoid, especially if your online social atmosphere includes a lot of people who place a high value on appearance-only qualities or happen to be caught up in the diet mentality themselves.  The impact can feel much more powerful if your body image is already in a fragile state as is often the case for individuals with eating disorders and those recovering from eating disorders.  

The great news is that you can mold a more positive online experience for yourself.  If you’ve reflected on your Facebook use,  assessed its impact on your body image and realized that too much of your social networking time is spent feeling worried or sad about how you look, than it may be time to set some changes in motion.

You can start by vowing to maintain a body positive Facebook profile - this means not engaging in fat talk, self-criticism, diet discussion or body snarking while on Facebook. Once you’ve made the decision to do so, you can find tips and suggestions for incorporating body positivity in our post, Social Networks ~ Building a Body Positive Presence Online.

*     *     *

Related Posts:

• Social Networks ~ Building a Body Positive Presence Online
• Body Image Friend or Foe? How is Facebook affecting the way you feel about your Body?

You may also be interested in:

• Making a Difference ~ Fat Talk Free Week 2011
• “Navigating Our Culture’s Body Anxiety & Finding Body Confidence” ~ Q & A with SUSIE ORBACH
• Momentum of Positive Change: The AMA’s Photoshop Policy & Beyond
• Bathing Suit Blues?

Over the last year, major social networking and blog sites have taken steps to protect users from  dangerous Pro-ana and Pro-mia communities online.  These are sites that promote eating disorders as a way of life, instead of a genuine mental illness, and create an atmosphere that normalizes and encourages extremely dangerous weight-loss behaviors.  Most recently the popular photo sharing site, Pinterest, updated their policies regarding inappropriate content to include Pinners and boards that feature “thinspo” or “thinspiration” – images of dangerously thin bodies meant to motivate or inspire users to pursue greater weight loss.   While banning this content won’t cure eating disorders, it can certainly help to protect vulnerable individuals from tapping into these dangerous websites. 

Though somewhat hidden in “underground” niches across the web, the dangers of online pro-eating disorder sites have been well-documented, and we commend Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr for taking a stand to protect their users from these sites.  But perhaps more unsuspecting in their effects, are mainstream social network communities: general sites like Facebook that we all use everyday to keep in touch with friends and family across the world, to post pictures of our kids and pets, to share birthday wishes or follow favorite organizations.  

Have you ever thought about how Facebook use is affecting your relationship with your body? 

Recently, The Center for Eating Disorders commissioned a public survey of Facebook users age 16-40 and found that, for most Facebook users, the answer to this questions is actually quite concerning.  In response to the survey we found:

• 51% of respondents said that seeing photos of themselves on Facebook makes them more conscious about their own body and their weight
• 32% said they feel SAD when comparing Facebook photos of themselves to their friends’
• 44% spend time wishing they had the same body or weight as a friend when looking at photos on Facebook
• 37% said they feel that they need to change specific parts of their body when comparing their bodies to a friend’s body in Facebook photos

Now consider that 80% of the respondents in our survey reported that they log on to Facebook at least once a day and more than half of them log on several times each day.   Thus, we see the set-up  for a daily stream of negative body image thoughts which could potentially impact one’s self-esteem.

Recent articles on CNN.com and NYTimes.com have drawn attention to the heightened role that online social networks play in adolescents’ relationship with their bodies, specifically with regards to the sexualization of teens’ online photos.  Most recently, the self-esteem website Proud2BMe.org  featured a collection of sobering quotes  from real teens regarding their body image and Facebook use, a few of which are excerpted below:

“People get positive attention in the world by losing weight. And you can do it to an even greater extent on Facebook.”-Anika, 18

“It’s only the ’standard beauty’ who gets the ‘likes’ I feel like to be the hot girl, you have to be like that, or wear your shirt too low and your skirt too high.” -Kirby, 18

“When looking at images of girls in a magazine almost all us know that they are altered electronically to appear perfect. When it comes to social media such as Facebook, most believe that they are looking at raw pictures, or ‘real girls.’ Whether this is true or not, they are ultimately used as a standard of comparison.    -Mary

What may be even more sobering is the reality that this mindset is not unique to adolescents. Survey results indicate that this is not just a phase we pass through or something teens will necessarily grow out of.   Respondents included adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s confirming that they experience similar patterns of body negativity and weight obsession when using Facebook.   

Body negativity on Facebook is not to be considered just a women’s issue either.  In this survey commissioned by CED, 40% of the male respondents agreed that they sometimes write negative comments about their own body in photos posted on Facebook (whereas 21% of females agree to doing so).

What do we gain from publicly, or privately, criticizing our bodies and constantly comparing our bodies to one another?  Does anyone really benefit from congratulating or praising people when they post about weight loss or diets in their Facebook updates?  Weight obsession and body shaming certainly isn’t new, but online social networks are creating a new frontier that seems to be publicizing our body insecurities while magnifying society’s love affair with diets and weight loss. CED’s associate director Dr. Steven Crawford had this to say in response to the survey results:

As people spend more time thinking about what’s wrong with their bodies, less time is spent on the positive realm and engaging in life in meaningful and fulfilling ways.  When people become more concerned with the image they project online and less concerned with holistic markers of health in real life, their body image may suffer and they may even turn, or return, to harmful fad diets or dangerous weight-control behaviors. We hope the results of this survey encourage people to really look at how their online behavior affects their outlook, and we caution them against being overly critical of their own bodies or other people’s bodies while on Facebook and other social networking sites.

Consider reflecting on your own Facebook use and how it could possibly be affecting your relationship with your body.   We suggest asking yourself the following questions to discern whether certain online behaviors or patterns are harming your self-esteem or body image:

• How often do you publicly or privately criticize your own body while online?
• How much time do you spend comparing your body to other people’s bodies online?
• What percentage of your status updates focus on weight, diets or exercise? 
• Do your comments on other people’s photos regularly focus on weight or appearance in a negative or positive way?  
• How do you feel when you look through friends’ online albums? Do you ever get overwhelmed by this?  

It’s important to remember that Facebook, and social networking in general, is a wonderful way to stay in touch with and connect to other people and organizations.  Facebook certainly doesn’t cause negative body image in and of itself.  It does however, provide lots of fuel for the weight-obsession and body criticisms that already burn out of control in our larger culture.  This can be particularly worrisome for individuals who already struggle with severe negative body image or eating disorders.  During a recent interview with ABC-2 News regarding the survey results, CED Director, Dr. Harry Brandt added that,     

Facebook may be another step in our culture that promotes self-consciousness about appearance and feelings of low self-worth around [the] body, and those are significant factors in the proliferation of eating disorders.

If you find that you’re using Facebook as an outlet for feeling badly about your body, comparing yourself to others physically, or hyperfocusing on appearance and weight in your posts, it may be time to renovate your page.  Check out these follow-up posts:

• What’s Really Going On with Faceboook & Body Image?
• Social Networks ~ Building a Body Positive Presence Online

Do you have suggestions? Want to share about you own experience?  Join the conversation, and start the movement towards online body positivity on our Facebook page.

You can findmore information about The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt on our website, www.EatingDisorder.org

“I’m having a fat day.”

“Does this outfit make me look fat?”

“I can’t go on that date until I lose more weight – I’m so disgusting.”

Have you ever uttered these words? Have you thought them? Heard other people say them? These types of statements have become far too acceptable as part of our every day speech and social conversation. In an effort to combat this way of speaking to ourselves and others, Tri Delta Sorority launched their fourth annual Fat Talk Free Week going on right now, October 16-22, 2011.

The following description of this initiative is posted on their website:

Fat Talk describes all of the statements made in everyday conversation that can contribute to women’s dissatisfaction with their bodies by reinforcing the thin ideal. Examples of fat talk may include: “I’m so fat,” “Do I look fat in this?” “I need to lose 10 pounds” and “She’s too fat to be wearing that.” Statements that are considered fat talk don’t necessarily have to be negative; they can seem positive yet also reinforce the need to be thin –“How do you stay so skinny?” or  “You look great! Have you lost weight?”

Fat Talk Free Week, our cause campaign in support of Reflections, is an annual week-long event to raise awareness about the damaging effects of Fat Talk. We’re encouraging everyone to change the conversation to create a more positive body image for women everywhere!

Negative body image is one of the most persistent symptoms of an eating disorder. In fact, for many people, their eating disorder symptoms will be well under control before their body image begins to improve. This is a frustrating experience that can also be very triggering, leading some, unfortunately, to revert to their eating disorder behaviors. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to actively work on nurturing and accepting your body. There’s still time to enlist some friends or family members to take part in Fat Talk Free Week to support you in creating a world less focused on appearance and unrealistic body ideals.

Stop Fat Talk: Instead of talking with others about your appearance, start conversations about which classes you are taing, your weekend plans or how you are feeling that day. Compliment others on their accomplishments, style, or humor instead of highlighting their appearance or weight. If others are engaging in fat talk, politely redirect the conversation or let them know about your goal for the week and encourage them to join in.  You can connect with others on the End Fat Talk Facebook Page.

Make a List, Don’t Check it Twice: On one half of a piece of paper, write a list of the things you dislike about your body. On the other half write the things that you like about your body, you accomplishments and your personality. Tear off the half that details the negatives and rip it up into pieces. Throw it in the trash where it belongs! Put the positive half somewhere that you can look at it frequently to remind yourself of your great qualities.

Treat Your Body: This would be a great week to schedule a massage or a pedicure. Strapped for cash? Check out local spas that might have student discounts or get some friends together and swap accessories that emphasize your favorite feature. Sometimes, it is a treat to simply take a nice, long shower at home and actually take time to enjoy the scents of the shampoos and soaps that you use.

Apologize: It may seem silly, but every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought about your body, pause and apologize to your body for being so harsh. Instead, try to express your gratitude for what your body does for you. For example, if you are thinking your thighs are too big, stop and thank your legs for giving you the ability to walk from place to place.  You might even want to write your body an apology letter for having been so critical in the past. Then write your resolutions for how you will treat it better in the future.

Get Creative: Tap into your inner artist and create a poster for CED’s 6th Annual Love Your Tree positive body image and poster campaign.  Colleges and  student organizations in the state of Maryland can even request a free Love Your Tree creative workshop for your campus facilitated by the program’s creator, Julia Andersen.  More details here.

Out with the old, In with the new: This would be a great week to do your body a favor and get rid of any old clothes that don’t fit or simply don’t make you feel great when you wear them. What is the point of holding onto jeans that don’t cooperate with your body? They’re only taking up space in your closet, and you could be focusing on the jeans that fit you and flatter you now. Host a clothing drive in your dorm or with your friends; donate those clothes to Goodwill or take them to a consignment shop. Everyone wins!

We at The Center for Eating Disorders encourage you to sign the Fat Talk Free Week Pledge.  Over 3,000 other people have already made the commitment to befriend their bodies, will you?

Remember, Fat Talk Free doesn’t have to end on Friday.  See how much better you feel when you focus on life outside of clothing sizes, diet goals and the media’s harmful messages about beauty. You may find that you want to make it a daily commitment.  Need a little extra motivation?  Check out Positive Body Image is Always In Season: 7 Tips for Year-Round Body Image Boosting and join us on Facebook.

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Written by Jennifer Moran, PsyD. as part of CED’s 8-part college blog series for students struggling with disordered eating and body image concerns on campus.

Advertisers commonly alter photographs to enhance the appearance of models’ bodies, and such alterations can contribute to unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image – especially among impressionable children and adolescents. A large body of literature links exposure to media-propagated images of unrealistic body image to eating disorders and other child and adolescent health problems. The AMA adopted new policy to encourage advertising associations to work with public and private sector organizations concerned with child and adolescent health to develop guidelines for advertisements, especially those appearing in teen-oriented publications, that would discourage the altering of photographs in a manner that could promote unrealistic expectations of appropriate body image.

Its important to note that eating disorders are biological illnesses with a myriad of  genetic, hormonal and neurobiological factors.  Just as parents do not cause eating disorders, nor do airbrushed magazine ads. (In fact, Carrie Arnold over at Psychology Today’s Body of Evidence does a great job of examining this aspect of the AMA’s statement).  But our hope is that this new policy is not just focused on removing a risk factor for those who may be genetically more susceptible to the “thin ideal”.  A society saturated with computer-generated images portrayed as real bodies is unhealthy and harmful whether it contributes to an eating disorder or not.   Its harmful to females and males.  Its harmful to kids and adults.  Its harmful for anyone that struggles with negative self-esteem or body image.  In this way, the issue of photoshop and media ethics is more than an eating disorder prevention issue but one that addresses self-esteem and body image on a societal level.

While some will say the policy doesn’t accomplish enough, its encouraging to see a well-respected, national organization like the AMA acknowledging the issue and prompting further attention to it. What’s most encouraging is that this recent action by the AMA, seems to be part of a larger momentum of change including the Girl Scouts’ announcement of its’ project, Healthy MEdia: Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls which is being co-launched by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and The Creative Coalition.

The new policy also arrives amidst several specific wins in the fight against harmful media practices surrounding weight, food, beauty ideals and sexualization.  Most recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) won a settlement against Beiersdorf, Inc. (parent company of Nivea) Inc. that prohibits them from making continued false claims that its Nivea My Silhouette! skin cream can reduce consumers’ body size.  In June, the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) publicly applauded Yoplait for agreeing to pull a troubling ad campaign after being warned by NEDA that it normalized dangerously disordered thoughts around food and weight.  And thanks to international body image advocates Sharon Haywood, Melinda Tankard Reist and more than 5,000 signatures on a petition at Change.org, major networks MTV and VH1 both agreed to ban a violent and misogynistic music video starring Kanye West and other high profile music stars.

Lots of individuals and organizations are pushing back against the tide of false bodies, diet myths, weight prejudice and general negativity in the media.  They’re making great strides in the promotion of positive body image, self-esteem and overall health (vs. weight).  In addition to those we mentioned above, here are just a few more organizations and individuals that are doing good and speaking out for change:

• Endangered Species
• Adios Barbie – The Body Image Site for Every Body
• The Health at Every Size (HAES) Community
• Pigtail Pals - Redefine Girly: Let’s Change the Way We Think About our Girls
• Jean Kilbourne (and her extensive list of media literacy resources)
• Center on Media & Child Health

When it comes to body image and media literacy, what other successful campaigns and positive social changes have you noticed lately? 

Join the discussion and check us out on Facebook & Twitter.

So what can you do if summertime stress has you low on body confidence?  Can you make it through the barrage of destructive messages this summer and still come out okay?  Better yet, can you use it as an opportunity to gain confidence, positivity and strength?  We say yes, you can! Here are some suggestions:

Talk back. Okay, maybe this goes against everything your parents ever told you but certainly they won’t mind a little attitude if directed at the media and not at them.  Dispute harmful summer body myths with positive self-talk, and say it like you mean it…

“No one can tell me what I can and can’t wear; I will find and wear a swimsuit that fits and flatters my body JUST AS I AM instead of trying to change my body to fit into a pre-determined size or style.”

“I refuse to miss out on fun opportunities in my life because some magazine tells me I’m not skinny enough, tan enough or muscular enough to be seen in a bathing suit.”

Stop and smell the roses…literally and figuratively.  Grow a garden, plant a tree, feel the grass between your toes, and breathe in the sweet summer air.  Sit outside and read a good book feeling the warm sunshine upon your face.  Look up in the night sky and gaze at the stars.  Be mindful of the scenery and sounds around you this summer. Sail on a boat, take a nature walk, listen to the rain on the roof during a thunder storm.  Enjoy all of your five senses with gratitude, and remember to give your body credit for allowing you to do all of these awesome things.

Accessorize. It can be fun to sport a great sun hat or trendy sunglasses that make you feel great and don’t have a size on their tag.  And while those accessories are eye-catching, we’d argue that the best beach bodies are those adorned with confidence and a smile.  If authentic confidence is hard for you right now, practice the “fake it until you make it” technique consistently, especially if you are going to be around young kids or adolescents who will be modeling your body image behaviors.

Teach others about a healthy lifestyle and show them the power of your positive energy.  Refrain from reading articles focused on weight, and talk often about how good health has nothing to do with the number on a scale.  Remind yourself and others that pressures from society regarding body size are unrealistic, unhealthy and dangerous.  Spend extra time with supportive friends and loved ones who also understand, appreciate, and embrace a diverse definition of beauty.

Change it up! Wear a different color, try a new sport or connect with a new friend.  Take a day trip somewhere you’ve never been or try a hobby you were always curious about.  Relish in the extra hours of sunlight and remember that a changing of the seasons is not about how you look in a bathing suit, but rather how you live your life.

Be kind. Treat your body, and other people’s bodies, with respect and dignity.

We’ve said it before… and we’ll say it again: Dieting does not work.  In fact, dieting damages your physical and mental well being. Chronic dieters are more likely to be depressed, have low self-esteem and most will end up at higher weights than they started. There’s a reason counting calories and adding up meal points were not included in our list of fun things about summer.   Summer is bound to go by quickly… try spending your time and energy on things that are actually enjoyable and beneficial.  Dieting is neither of those things.

Need a little motivation? Check out the first ever National Swimsuit Confidence Week taking place this week, May 23-27.  The movement, launched by Lands’ End, was created to celebrate women of all shapes and sizes, inspire them to embrace their swimsuit beauty and to have fun this summer.  Each day Lands’ End is giving away 10 Lands’ End Swimsuits, 10 Lands’ End Beach Towels and announcing exclusive promotions on Twitter. Find out the schedule and more at Mom Spark.

Let’s welcome summer and bid farewell to any lingering anxiety.  We hope you can spend time appreciating where you and your body are in this moment. What are you doing to make the best of your summer and to turn the bathing suit blues into body confidence? Share your strategy on our Facebook page!

Find out more about The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt at www.eatingdisorder.org.

Blog contributions by Amy Scott, LCPC

Today is the 9th annual International No Diet Day (INDD).  The campaign was started in 1992 by an author in Britain who had gone through her own recovery from anorexia. What started as a gathering in her living room has grown into a celebration of beauty and health across the globe.

Here are 20 ways you can get involved with the international celebration of INDD…

1. The obvious: Take the No Diet Pledge (Don’t forget to print it out as a reminder.)

2. Review the facts.  Dieting rarely works. 95% of all dieters regain their lost weight and more within 1 to 5 years.

3. Do some research.  Next time you see a diet ad, read the extra fine print under the before/after pictures.

4. Throw out your scale.  While physically chucking that bathroom scale out a second-story window and watching it break into pieces below sounds exciting, there are obvious risks with that tactic.  Consider these alternative methods:

• Donate it to a thrift store (bonus = tax write-off for donations!)
• Hand it over at your next therapy or nutrition appointment
• Wait by the road on trash day and hand it directly to your Garbage Collector

5. Use the money you planned to spend on diet products to get a massage, visit a museum,  send a gift to an out-of-town friend, OR deposit it in a savings account.  We promise it will be more fulfilling.

6. Check out some of our favorite websites and bloggers that advocate a non-diet approach to healthy living for people of every size.

• Linda Bacon, PhD and Health at Every Size
• Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD and Intuitive Eating

7. Recycle any weight-loss magazines or diet cookbooks.  Get creative and turn them into crafts, rip-out the pages and use them as packing paper for breakables.  Or simply thrown them in the recycling bin.

8. Better yet: cancel any ongoing subscriptions to diet-laden publications.

9. Do a spring cleaning of your closet.  Donate clothes that don’t fit or don’t make you feel good in your body.  Remember,clothes are meant to fit your body, not the other way around.

10. Start living.  Do the thing you’ve been putting off until you lose X pounds. Go to the beach, take a salsa dancing lesson, go mountain climbing.

11. Reach out for support. If chronic dieting and an intense focus on weight loss has led to serious problems with eating disorders, dangerous weight-loss attempts or feelings of depression,  seek professional help.  (Not sure if you really need help?  You can start with this confidential, self-assessment quiz to find out).

12. Are you a parent, pediatrician, educator or childcare provider?  Help cultivate a new generation of non-dieters by teaching children to be competent eaters from the start.  Check out these great feeding resources:

• Ellyn Satter and The Division of Responsibility
• Dr. Katja Rowell at Family Feeding Dynamics

13. Make a list of 10 positive things your body does for you. Hang it on your mirror.

14. Wear something you love and feel comfortable in

15. Spread the word. Copy the picture above and post to your Facebook profile.

16. Connect to nature.  Find some beautiful scenery, sit, relax and be inspired by the natural ability of living things to nourish themselves without external cues from diet companies.   You have the same ability.

17. Feeling crafty? Instead of trashing the bathroom scale, consider taking it apart and turning it into an art project representing your freedom from dieting.  (Side note: If you do this, PLEASE send us a pic and we will post on our facebook page!)

18. Compliment a friend on a quality not related to appearance OR tell someone you love what makes them beautiful without using words that describe body size, weight or appearance.

19. Add up all of the time you usually spend weighing yourself, counting calories, reading weight-loss articles, feeling badly about your body, or thinking about food.  Make a list of all the things you’d rather be doing with that time.  Start doing them.

20. Keep on going.  Just in case 20 ideas wasn’t enough for you, here’s a list of “50 Ways to Lose the 3 Ds: Dieting, Drive for Thinness, and Body Dissatisfaction” from The National Eating Disorders Association.

The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt fully supports the goals and values of International No Diet Day on May 6th and all year long.   We hope you have a chance to try at least one of the ideas today, but remember that they don’t expire.   These 20 ideas represent steps you can take at any time to start changing your relationship with food and weight.

If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, please visit our website at www.eatingdisorder.org or call us at (410) 938-5252 for information about treatment and support.

One of our most recent guest speakers, Johanna S. Kandel, Executive Director of The Alliance for Eating Disorder Awareness,  will be on the Hill today using her voice too.  Johanna is the author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder, a moving book about her own recovery and a must-read for anyone who has ever been touched by an eating disorder.  When Johanna was at The Center for Eating Disorders in February 2011 to help us celebrate National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, she spoke with passion and honesty to a packed auditorium about the importance of spreading hope, using your voice and making a difference.

Click here to WATCH a VIDEO CLIP of Johanna Kandel speaking about using your voice to spread the message of HOPE and RECOVERY.   (from her February 20, 2011 presentation in Baltimore, MD)

Even if you can’t be at the EDC’s Lobby Day today there is still a lot you can do.  Get some ideas from Johanna’s clip above or visit the EDC’s “Take Action” page to find out how you can contact your legislators and ask them to support the FREED Act. You can also make a difference by sharing recovery-focused feedback on message boards like CED’s Online Forum where individuals can post anonymously and ask for support along the road to recovery.

What creative ways do you use your voice to spread hope and let others know that recovery is possible?  Leave your comments below or chime in on our Facebook Page.

The end of a calendar year brings with it endless conversations of new year’s resolutions.  Setting these notoriously lofty goals is often an attempt to pull oneself out of the seasonal funk that can settle in with shorter days, colder weather and a barrage of holiday stressors.  When people make resolutions, it is often done with the intent to completely overhaul their life.  They look to make a sweeping change that will fix all that is wrong, and get them back on the “right track”.  Unfortunately, this particular type of goal setting usually backfires – as evidenced by the fact that most people end up making the same exact resolutions year after year.

New year’s resolutions also send a message that today doesn’t count – it gives us permission to stay unhappy or unhealthy ”just a little bit longer” until January 1st rolls around. This could mean different things for different people depending on whether you are working towards recovery from an eating disorder, still struggle with chronic yo-yo dieting or are trying to quit smoking.  So, how do you pull yourself out of the winter blues without jumping on the resolution bandwagon?  Here are a few ideas to get you started…

1.  Don’t wait.  Start making small adjustments today that have nothing to do with food, eating, or your weight. Creating small but positive disruptions in your daily routine can help you stay grounded and may even help to break a cycle of negative thoughts or eating disorder symptoms that are associated with certain places or a time of day.

• Try taking a different route to work or school.  This small change could open up new possibilities, even if its just observing the new scenery or discovering a park along the way that you never knew existed!  Who knows, you may even find out that your new detour involves less traffic or fewer lights.
• Do some interior designing.  Consider rearranging some furniture or updating a picture wall inside your house or apartment.  Visible changes such as these can offer a sense of renewal without the obligation or pressure.
• These are just a few examples…you can come up with your own ideas for “minor adjustments” and share them on our Facebook page.

2. Setting goals is a great thing but not if the goal is unrealistic, unhealthy, too vague, or involves intense pressure to succeed.  All of these characteristics can make it very difficult to follow through with a resolution.  Instead, focus on taking small, concrete steps forward in the direction of balanced living.

• If you tend to make resolutions that are unrealistic and unhealthy…“I have to get myself to the gym.  I’m going to purchase a membership and force myself to go everyday, no matter what.”
  • Try this instead: “I will commit to going to one or two community yoga classes by the end of the month and work on developing a positive and supportive relationship with my body.”
• If you tend to make resolutions that are vague and counterproductive… “I need to lose weight by the summer so I’m really going to stick to my diet this year!”
  • Try this instead: “I give myself permission to stop dieting and to trust my body. If I need the help of a professional nutritionist to do this, I will seek one out.”
• If you tend to make resolutions that leave no room for error and put a lot of pressure on you to succeed…“As of January 1st, I am never going to act on my eating disorder symptoms again.”
  • Try this instead: “Before the week is over, I will call and schedule an appointment to begin seeing a therapist.” This is an example of a small but very meaningful task that can result in long-term change.  If you already see a therapist, consider this instead: “In the next week, I will use at least one new support or coping skill that I’ve never tried before.” Examples include: attending a support group, journaling, or enrolling in art therapy.

3. Now that you’ve resolved NOT to make a resolution, how are you going to cope with everybody else who feels inclined to talk about resolutions, weight loss and diets all of the time?

• Be the bearer of accurate news.  When your friends start discussing the new diet they will begin on January 1st, inform them about why diets don’t work and be sure to let them know that 98% of the people who go on diets gain all of the weight back and that half of them gain back more than they lost.
• Try out the “shock and awe” technique. As others start to bemoan their hips and curse their thighs while resolving to change their bodies in the new year, employ the element of surprise – say something  NICE about yourself and your body. Body bashing has become such an accepted form of conversation (especially around the holidays) that when someone (You!) is able to reflect positively on their own body, people are seriously caught off guard and may think twice about their own statements.  Try one of the comments below or come up with a few of your own!
  • “I am so grateful for all of the things my body allows me to accomplish.”
  • “I’m much more concerned about feeling strong and healthy than I am about fitting into a particular size.”
  • Even if you are not at a point in your life, or in recovery, where you actually believe these statements, say them anyway.  Saying them out loud helps move you in the right direction toward real change.  You will not only have helped yourself, but you will steer the conversation away from a negative place and become a role model for positive body image.  This is particularly important if children and adolescents are within earshot of the conversation.

Here’s to a hopeful 2011 full of balance and mindfulness!

If you have any questions about eating disorders, please call our admissions coordinators at (410) 938-5252 to speak confidentially about your concerns and treatment options.  Additionally, you can visit our website at www.eatingdisorder.org for more information, including an interactive on-line quiz that can help determine whether you, or someone you care about, might have an eating disorder that requires professional treatment.

It’s an unfortunate reality that people get teased / judged /excluded / ridiculed because of  their weight on a daily basis.  In fact, weight-bias has been referred to by many as the last socially acceptable form of discrimination – yet no less detrimental than the racism, sexism or religious intolerance seen throughout history.   Weight-based teasing happens across all social arenas – between tots on the playground, around the family dinner table and on the covers of tabloids.  It happens to men and women, teens and the middle-aged, blue collar workers and secretaries of state.   Most of the time, these unfortunate jabs go by unpublicized and the recipient of the comment left to their own defenses to deal with whatever negative body image seed has been planted. The result is never a good one.  But is there ever a case when weight judgment and teasing is justified?

NY Times critic, Alastair Macaulay seems to think so as evidenced by his review of the New York City Ballet’s November 26th opening night performance of The Nutcracker.   In it he wrote:

This didn’t feel, however, like an opening night. Jenifer Ringer, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many; and Jared Angle, as the Cavalier, seems to have been sampling half the Sweet realm. (The New York Times)

After his comment drew tremendous criticism from dancers, dance enthusiasts,  and the general public alike Macaulay ended up writing a rebuttal of sorts, defending his critique and his right, as a critic, to comment on dancers’ bodies and their weight.  In the response article, he contradicts his own stance on the importance of a low weight to enhance dance technique, but he mostly defends his right to poke fun at dancers’ weight:

Some correspondents have argued that the body in ballet is “irrelevant.” Sorry, but the opposite is true. If you want to make your appearance irrelevant to criticism, do not choose ballet as a career. The body in ballet becomes a subject of the keenest observation and the most intense discussion.

While there’s no question that, in dance, the body becomes the vehicle for the art, we contest the idea that Alastair Macaulay’s comment was a necessary, appropriate  or even mature form of critiquing the performance.   In fact, the adolescent “teasing” quality that came across in his sugar plum comment has lost Macaulay respect among his readers and colleagues alike.  Respect and professionalism aside, Macaulay’s review hit a nerve because it has much greater implications for individuals, the profession and our society-at-large which continues to condone weight-based jokes and a body ideal that few can attain without resorting to dangerous behaviors.

It just so happens that, Jenifer Ringer, the dancer criticized for “eating one too many sugar plums” has since spoken publicly about her personal struggle with negative body image and eating disorders on The Today Show with Ann Curry.  This, unfortunately, is not an uncanny coincidence but more of a statistical likelihood.  In a 2006 study of ballet dancers done by the University of Pittsburgh, 83% percent of the dancers met lifetime criteria for an eating disorder (Int J Disord. Eat 2007; 39:503).   The investigators speculate that even this shockingly high number may not fully capture the extent of the problem.  In his response piece, Macaulay acknowledges these risks, yet seems to accept them as par for the course, writing that:

Ballet demands sacrifice in its pursuit of widely accepted ideals of beauty. To several readers that struggle is, regrettably but demonstrably and historically in the case of many women, concomitant with anorexia.

Perhaps he would feel differently if he knew that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.  Upwards of 20% of individuals with an eating disorder who do not get treatment will die from their illness according to the Eating Disorder Coalition.  But instead of using his public voice to call attention to this, he has proposed that his career justifies his comments and chooses to focus on perpetuating a dangerous stereotype.   The widely publicized  excuse seems fairly similar to that of  comedienne and self-proclaimed D-Lister, Kathy Griffin who recently joked excessively about Bristol Palin’s weight gain during a VH1 Divas Salute the Troops event.  After being met with overwhelming boos from the audience of U.S. troops, Griffin defended her hurtful comments, saying,  it was a necessary part of her job as a comic.  To this, Bristol Palin reacted by saying “The audience’s reaction to this ‘comedian’ spoke volumes, and the decent people I know would probably have booed her, too… I hope people didn’t have to pay money to hear her negativity and criticisms.”

In both cases, the silver lining has been the public’s widespread disapproval of the hurtful and damaging comments.  Certainly,  in the case of Jenifer Ringer, we have also seen a beautiful example of someone overcoming all odds, defying the pressures to conform and becoming a much needed spokesperson for REAL beauty and health vs. weight in the ballet world.   Jenifer Ringer gets the last word:

It’s a physical profession. We’re dancing all day long…. But if you’re too thin, you can’t do the job. That’s where people run into trouble. When I went through my eating disorders, I went through anorexia; when you’re weak, you can’t do the job, and you can’t perform it well.

As a dancer, I do put myself out there to be criticized, and my body is part of my art form. At the same time, I’m not overweight. I do have, I guess, a more womanly body type than the stereotypical ballerina, but that’s one of the wonderful things about the New York City Ballet. We have every body type you can imagine. We have tall, we have petite, we have athletic, we have womanly, we have waif-like. We have every body type out there. They can all dance like crazy. They are all gorgeous, and I think dance should be more of a celebration of that — seeing these beautiful women with these different bodies all dancing to this gorgeous music, and that’s what should be celebrated. (Jenifer Ringer as quoted in Tara Parker Pope’s NY Times Blog)

What do you think – are critics and comedians (or other professions) justified in making weight-based jokes  or publicly degrading people for the way they look?  What are the repercussions?  Leave a comment below or join the discussion on our facebook page.

2010 has been one of the busiest community outreach years to date here at The Center for Eating Disorders.  We are very glad to have welcomed many of you to our events for the first time.  In addition to providing requested trainings and workshops in the community CED also hosted five major community events on the Sheppard Pratt campus.  These are just a few of the many highlights from the past year…

In January of 2010 CED kicked-off the year with a day long conference  entitled, Promoting Self-Esteem & Positive Body Image: A Program for the Jewish Community. Despite a lingering snow storm, over 100 community members attended including parents and adolescents, educators and school staff, medical and mental health providers as well as rabbis and Jewish community leaders from Baltimore and surrounding areas.

One month later we celebrated National Eating Disorder Awareness Week with a keynote presentation by author and parenting expert Rosalind Wiseman.  In her talk,  Positive Parenting for a Healthy Self-Image, she spoke candidly about relating to kids and adolescents in ways that build self-esteem and body confidence.  That same week in February, we honored student artists from across the state of Maryland at the annual “Love Your Tree” poster art exhibit and awards ceremony. Bel Air High School Freshman, Kiley Baker was honored as her original artwork was unveiled as the official 2010 Love Your Tree poster. More than 130 art pieces were on display and over $1,200 in scholarships and prizes were awarded to participating students and teachers. (Don’t forget: the deadline for this year’s LYT Poster campaign is Dec. 17th, 2010!!!)

Before NEDAWeek 2010 ended, CED therapist, Craig Boas, LCSW  facilitated a community workshop called Mindfulness 101: An Experiential Exploration of DBT Practices for Eating Disorder Recovery and Everyday Life. In addition to these local events, we also launched a blog series called Nurture:  A mind and body wellness blog for moms and mothers-to-be. The blog entries helped to provide support around issues of fertility & pregnancy, eating disorders, body image, media and motherhood.  

In August of 2010, we were honored to host a community presentation by author and parent, Harriet Brown the very  day after the release of her book, Brave Girl Eating: A Family’s Struggle With Anorexia. Her talk was inspirational for the many parents and professionals in the audience and stimulated much discussion about Family-Based Treatment (FBT).  The Center for Eating Disorders is one of a small number of sites across the country that has clinicians who are specially trained and certified to provide FBT for eating disorders.

We switched gears in September 2010 for a focus on continuing professional education for providers.  Five eating disorder treatment experts from across the country converged in Baltimore to present at CED’s professional symposium, Eating Disorders: State of the Art Treatment.  Almost 200 physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, dietitians and other treating professionals attended the day long conference to learn about topics such as Family-Based Treatment for EDs, Psychopharmacology and Cognitive Remediation Therapy.  Several of our expert presenters provided guest blogs for us in advance of the symposium.  You can read them by clicking on the links below:

• Seeing From a Different Angle: Improved Outcomes for Individuals with Treatment Resistant Eating Disorders, with Lucy Serpell, PhD, DClinPsy
• Updates & Evidence-Based Nutrition Guidelines in the Treatment of Eating Disorders, with Marcia Herrin, EdD, MPH, RD, LD
• Cognitive Process and Remediation in Anorexia Nervosa, with James Lock, MD, PhD
• Utilizing Transference & Countertransference to Deepen the Treatment of Eating Disorders, with Kathryn Zerbe, M.D.

Several days after the symposium, CED staff members, including CED Associate Director, Dr. Steven Crawford, teamed up with fellow advocates from across the country on Capitol Hill to take part in a Lobby Day organized by The Eating Disorder Coalition (EDC).  We spent time meeting with Maryland representatives in congress and senate, discussing how important it is for them to sign on in support of the FREED Act.  It was an empowering day and CED is looking forward to being a continuing sponsor of the EDC in the new year.

Most recently we were incredibly excited to host our fall outreach event,  Intuitive Eating: Making Peace With Food,  featuring Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, a nationally acclaimed nutrition expert and bestselling author.  There was a tremendous response from the community, and over 200 people from across Maryland and surrounding states converged in Towson on November 21st to hear Ms. Tribole’s engaging presentation.  After the talk, many attendees lined up to speak with her personally about their stories of success with Intuitive Eating.  If you missed the presentation, check out the pre-event Q & A with Evelyn Tribole on our blog.

• Increase awareness about the growing prevalence of eating disorders and their consequences
• Provide opportunities to help individuals, families, schools and organizations prevent eating disorders and promote positive body image
• Encourage early intervention and improve access to care while decreasing stigma associated with seeking help
• Support individuals and families throughout the recovery process
• Enhance professional knowledge and competency through continuing education events for medical and mental health providers

Upcoming community outreach events:

• Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder with Johanna Kandel (February 20, 2011)
• The 5th Annual ‘Love Your Tree’ Poster Campaign & Art Exhibit (February 22, 2011)
• Family Information & Support Panel Presentation, featuring treatment providers and parents of individuals with eating disorders (February 24, 2011)
• Free eating disorders screenings (February 20-26, 2011)
• Email our Outreach Coordinator to schedule a presentation or workshop for your school or organization in 2011.

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